Aqua Safaris Scuba Center

Congratulations to the Santa Cruz Fire Department Marine rescue team. 5 new Open Water Divers.

One more week for teachers to apply for scholarships! We’re partnering with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) to offset travel costs for one early-career educator from each NMEA chapter to attend the NMEA Annual Conference and our Blue Technology Education Workshop on July 16. At the workshop, teachers will:

-Meet with industry leaders in blue technology education
-Explore classroom-ready lessons and student competitions
-Learn about tools that inspire students to pursue careers in technology and science

Scholarship applications are due February 28. Learn more about the workshop and available scholarships on our website: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/news/noaa-ocean-exploration-to-host-blue-technology-education-workshop/

Sinus Barotrauma The causes, symptoms and complications of sinus barotrauma. Find out how to prevent and treat sinus barotrauma while diving.

**Ocean Explorers Scholarship Applications close on February 27, 2026**

Find an application link in our bio. Please share with friends and family!

Ocean Explorers participants experience the thrill of scientific discovery and tons of fun with new friends. Budding scientists, ages 7 to 14, enjoy an unforgettable week sure to inspire a lasting passion for ocean conservation.

A special thanks to the Clif Family Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, host of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee, for supporting our 2026 scholarship fund.

Santa Barbara on February 19th!

Join Sunflower Star Laboratory for February’s Distinguished Speaker Series at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum on Thursday, 2/19 at 7PM for a presentation on sunflower star recovery!

Come for the uplifting story of a community-driven nonprofit working to save the critically-endangered sunflower sea star and the kelp forests that depend on them, stay for a bonus showing of a new star-themed project by one of our local starfriends!

Tickets can be found at the 🔗 below! See you there, SoCal starfriends!

📸: Courtesy of Dan Harding



https://sbmm.org/santa-barbara-event/shooting-for-the-stars/

First Temporary Experimental Outplanting of Sunflower Stars in California Marks Major Milestone in Ocean Recovery — Sunflower Star Laboratory  In a historic first for California, juvenile sunflower stars, reared in human care, were successfully placed into the ocean and later retrieved as part of a pioneering field study aimed at restoring one of the Pacific’s most ecologically vital and endangered marine species.

Orcas in Mexico Have Learned to Attack Young Great White Sharks—by Flipping Them Upside Down and Eating Their Livers Researchers captured the novel behavior on video in the Gulf of California, recording three separate takedowns across two hunts carried out by members of the Moctezuma pod